India UPI user: research and verify checkout fees on 5 ecommerce websites

## Description

We're running a research project to find out whether Indian consumers are charged fees when they pay with UPI at online checkouts. If they are, we want to know how much, and how that compares with other payment methods. We need someone in India who uses UPI every day and has real accounts on major ecommerce platforms.

## What you'll do

1. **Propose 5 merchants.** Send a shortlist of 5 top consumer ecommerce merchants in India that accept UPI at checkout (for example Amazon India or Flipkart). Briefly say why each is a good pick. We'll approve the list before you start.
2. **Research the fees.** For each merchant, find out:
- (a) Whether any fee is charged when the buyer pays by UPI.
- (b) How that fee is calculated: flat or percentage, any minimum or maximum, and any order-value thresholds. Link the merchant's official documentation, such as its help centre, fee schedule or terms of use. Where there is no official source, say so and describe what you observed.
- (c) Whether the fee is different, or absent, for non-UPI methods, and by how much.
3. **Capture checkout evidence that validates your research.** Using your own existing account on each merchant, add an item to your cart and go to the payment step. Your screenshots must show whether what you found in step 2 actually holds at checkout. For each merchant, capture full-page screenshots showing:
- the order summary and total with UPI selected, and with at least one non-UPI method selected at the same cart value.
- any fee line item that your research says should appear, such as "convenience fee", "payment handling fee" or "platform fee", or confirmation that there is none
- only where your research identifies a threshold: cart values just below and just above it, for example a minimum order value
- the date and time on screen if possible

If checkout does **not** match your research, for example the documentation says no fee but a fee appears, or the reverse, capture it and flag it clearly. These mismatches are the most valuable findings. You do **not** need to complete any purchase.

## Deliverables

- A Google Sheet, created inside the shared Google Drive folder we give you, with one row per merchant and payment method. Columns: merchant, payment method, order value tested, fee per documentation, fee observed at checkout, match? (Yes / No / No documentation), fee calculation, source link, date tested, and screenshot filename for UPI fee, docs and non-UPI (one column each)
- All screenshots uploaded to the same shared Google Drive folder (we'll share the link once you're hired; please don't send them by chat or email), named like `merchant_UPIfee_date.png`, `merchant_docs_date.png` and `merchant_nonUPI_date.png`
- A short written summary (under 1 page) of your findings and any surprises

## You must have

- Physical presence in India, and regular (near daily) UPI use with at least one major UPI app
- Active, existing accounts with the merchants you propose, ideally with some order history
- A phone or computer that can take full-page screenshots
- Strong English writing and an eye for detail
- Experience with online research or QA and testing (a plus)

## To apply, please include

- Your proposed list of 5 merchants (we'll still confirm it with you)
- Which of them you already have accounts on
- Which UPI app you use, what non-UPI payment method you can test with
- Your estimated turnaround time
- One sentence on a time you've done similar research or testing (optional)

## Acceptance criteria

- All 5 merchants covered
- For each merchant, a screenshot as evidence for each of the following:
- **UPI fee screenshot:** the checkout page with UPI selected, showing the fee line item or confirming that no fee is charged
- **Docs screenshot (fee calculation):** a screenshot of the merchant's official documentation (help centre, fee schedule or terms) explaining how the fee is calculated, with the page URL visible. If the merchant has no official documentation, a checkout screenshot showing the fee at two different cart values, plus a written explanation of the pattern
- **Non-UPI screenshot (comparison):** the checkout page with at least one non-UPI method selected, at the same cart value as the UPI screenshot, showing the fee or confirming there is none
- Every research claim checked against checkout, with any mismatch flagged
- A completed Google Sheet, with all screenshots uploaded to the shared Google Drive folder

**Budget / timeline:** AUD 50. Deadline: 3-5 days.